1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to coating and delivery of cells. The coating material includes biodegradable polymers containing hydrophobic groups, hydrophilic groups, and reporters. The polymer coated cells may be used in cell-based therapies.
2. Description of the Related Art
While therapeutic advances in the last decade have produced many effective drugs and treatments, such treatments usually are unable to completely correct or reverse disease states because most disease states are caused by complex interactions between cell components. Cell therapy holds much promise to not only provide relief from disease symptoms, but to actually reverse disease states. Blood transfusions and bone marrow transplants are examples of successful use of cell-based therapeutics.
There are currently no effective therapies for many acquired and congenital cardiovascular, pulmonary, and hematologic diseases and disorders. Recent discoveries in stem cell biology present new opportunities for the use of cell-based therapies in disease areas with critical, unmet medical needs. Adult, cord blood, embryonic and fetal stem cells hold great potential for use in new strategies aimed at the regeneration and repair of damaged or diseased cardiovascular, lung, and blood tissues.